I Samuel chapter 17

I read a newspaper article about Francis Dymoke, the King’s champion, who died in December 2023. The ancient role of the King’s champion was to fight battles and single combat on the King’s behalf. Francis Dymoke was a fairly well-off, old accountant. He was not a man of fighting. The position of a king’s champion has become just a title. In the past, during a King’s coronation, the king’s champion would ride a white horse and raise a defiant cry to those who would deny the sovereign’s status. He would take part in single combat. That is what we see here in this passage of scripture. David versus Goliath.

This event is usually used as an image of a great underdog. This account of David and Goliath is historical fact. Some see it as Jesus conquering sin and death but that is not the complete picture. The original picture cannot mean what it can’t mean to the original readers. They’re reading it to remember how God saved the Israelites from the Philistines. It is an historical event. Read it as history and learn from it. Here we see:

1. verses 1-19: The champion;
2. verses 20-39: The challenge accepted;
3. verses 40-58:   The conquest.

1.The Champion

The champion is introduced. The Philistines prepare for war, march across the border. Saul hears about this and gathers his men. More and more armour and tents. The Philistines set up a base camp on one mountain and the Israelites on another. There are thousands of them. They are a fairly equal force. They are lined up and ready, facing each other. Who will move first? Then, this big spear, taller than the rest, comes through the Philistines. Out strides a giant. 9 foot 9. Huge! To clothe him in armour would have cost a lot. He had been a warrior from his youth. He is ready. He wants a man to fight (v.8).

This has happened before; the Philistines and Israelites are grave enemies. The hundreds of thousands of Israelites were dismayed and terrified. They felt broken, having no hope. Fear in an army of 300,000 is contagious. Then we see David, the little shepherd boy. Here is a drama. David’s other brothers go to Saul; they are older. But David is a small shepherd boy. He is a youth, yet strong enough to later pick up Goliath’s sword. Here we have the arrogant versus the meek, the warrior versus the shepherd. For 40 days Goliath comes to the Israelites.

2. Challenge accepted.

Jesse had no idea his sons are terrified, hiding behind their shields, not fighting. David goes to them. It is morning. It’s hot. The sun is beating down on them. They sweat so much. They eat, they sleep, then do this over and over again. Imagine the grumbles. Whenever the Israelites saw Goliath they fled from him (v.24). Fear took hold of them.

David arrives and goes out to the battle lines. He hears Goliath’s challenge and speaks his mind, “And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (v.26). What is the one word in that sentence that has not been mentioned so far? God. The Israelites are not thinking about God, about being His chosen people. David speaks his mind.

Saul calls David. He wants to see if he has a champion in David. He has no idea who he is, even though he is already in Saul’s service (chapter 16). Saul wants to know why David is saying this. David responds by saying he will go and fight. We see courage.

Why is David so different? Why does he have courage? The Israelites have forgotten God but David is courageous because he knows who God is. In verses 34-37 we see the true extent of David’s courage. He sees the threat and chases after it, “And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!” (v.37).

If you were forced to do something, that is not courage. In David’s case he was willing to front pain and agony because he knows the Lord is with him. Every one of the Israelites was ruled by fear because they lacked faith. David was probably fearful but because God is with him, he goes anyway. He was willing to go despite everyone’s fear.

We want courage like this. What does courage look like to you on a day-to-day basis? C.S. Lewis declared, “Since it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker.” Every single one of us, day by day, faces some kind of enemy. It is all too easy to say no on a day, a week, a month. Tell your kids stories of courage. This historical account shows God with His people. If you are His people, God goes with you.

There are fears we face as individuals and as a church, but God promises to go with us. Each day, you can wake up and know what’s coming could be awful; it could be colleagues criticising you, bullies in school, problems at home, worries about the war in Ukraine spreading west. Thing is outside of God’s hands. God is with us. Have confidence and do not let your fear rule you.

David puts on the armour he is given but says he cannot go in this as he is not used to it. He knows a battle will come and armour will help, but it is too big. He picks five small calmer smooth stones and went to face Goliath.

3.The Conquest.

Imagine Goliath facing the vast army of Israel, then he sees David in his tunic, staff in his hand and stones in the other. He mocks David. The conversation in verses 43 to 47 is the climax of the story – not the killing of Goliath. David says, “Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” (v.45). David declares that God has not defied Israel, Goliath has defied Israel. The whole world will know there is a God, including the Israelites. There is a God who protects His people. This is what the whole passage builds towards.

Goliath runs towards David, who runs towards him. David has a sling in his hand. He puts a stone in it. The sling goes faster and faster. The stone hurtles toward and sinks into the forehead of the enemy – while he was wearing a bronze helmet. It punches forward into the enemy. The ranks of Israelites are filled with slingers, yet it was David who stood up to the giant, who faced the enemy.

God triumphed and was glorified through David’s courage. What fears will you face tomorrow? God is with us. God knows your fears. If you don’t know Jesus and want to put yourself in the story, you are part of the Philistines. Because they didn’t trust in God they died. But Jesus died for you. You can trust in Him. Your fears will be conquered. He died on the cross that you might live.

“I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.”
Psalm 121:1

Is that your truth?